Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Hawkins studied classical piano as a child and learned guitar in his twenties. His initial goal was to become an opera singer (Hawkins has cited Paul Robeson as his musical idol in interviews), but when his initial ambitions failed he began his career as a conventional blues singer and pianist.
Hawkins was an avid and formidable boxer. In 1949, he was the middleweight boxing champion of Alaska.
In 1951, Hawkins joined guitarist Tiny Grimes's band, and was subsequently featured on some of Grimes's recordings. When Hawkins became a solo performer, he often performed in a stylish wardrobe of leopard skins, red leather and wild hats.
His most successful recording, "I Put a Spell on You" (1956), was selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. According to the AllMusic Guide to the Blues, "Hawkins originally envisioned the tune as a refined ballad." The entire band was intoxicated during a recording session where "Hawkins screamed, grunted, and gurgled his way through the tune with utter drunken abandon." The resulting performance was no ballad but instead a "raw, guttural track" that became his greatest commercial success and reportedly surpassed a million copies in sales, although it failed to make the Billboard pop or R&B charts.
The performance was mesmerizing, although Hawkins himself blacked out and was unable to remember the session. Afterward he had to relearn the song from the recorded version. Meanwhile the record label released a second version of the single, removing most of the grunts that had embellished the original performance; this was in response to complaints about the recording's overt sexuality. Nonetheless it was banned from radio in some areas.
Soon after the release of "I Put a Spell on You", radio disc jockey Alan Freed offered Hawkins $300 to emerge from a coffin onstage. Hawkins accepted and soon created an outlandish stage persona in which performances began with the coffin and included "gold and leopard skin costumes and notable voodoo stage props, such as his smoking skull on a stick – named Henry – and rubber snakes." These props were suggestive of voodoo, but also presented with comic overtones that invited comparison to "a black Vincent Price."
He continued to tour and record through the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in Europe, where he was very popular. He appeared in performance (as himself) in the Alan Freed bio-pic American Hot Wax in 1978. Subsequently, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch featured "I Put a Spell on You" on the soundtrack – and deep in the plot – of his film Stranger Than Paradise (1983) and then Hawkins himself as a hotel night clerk in his Mystery Train and in roles in Álex de la Iglesia's Perdita Durango and Bill Duke's adaptation of Chester Himes' A Rage in Harlem.
His 1957 single "Frenzy" (found on the early 1980s compilation of the same name) was included in the compilation CD, Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files, in 1996. This song was featured in the show's Season 2 episode "Humbug". It was also covered by the band Batmobile. "I Put a Spell on You" was featured during the show and over the credits of Episode 303 of The Simpsons.
In 1983, Hawkins relocated to the New York area. In 1984 and 1985, Hawkins collaborated with garage rockers The Fuzztones, resulting in "Screamin' Jay Hawkins and The Fuzztones Live" album recorded at Irving Plaza in December 1984. They perform in the 1986 movie Joey.
In July 1991, Hawkins released his album Black Music for White People. The record features covers of two Tom Waits compositions: "Heart Attack and Vine" (which, later that year, was used in a European Levi's advertisement without Waits' permission, resulting in a lawsuit), and "Ice Cream Man" (which, contrary to popular belief, is a Waits original, and not a cover of the John Brim classic). Hawkins also covered the Waits song, "Whistlin' Past the Graveyard", for his album Somethin' Funny Goin' On. In 1993, his version of "Heart Attack and Vine" became his only UK hit, reaching #42 on the UK singles chart.
When Dread Zeppelin recorded their "disco" album, It's Not Unusual in 1992, producer Jah Paul Jo asked Hawkins to guest. He performed the songs "Jungle Boogie" and "Disco Inferno".
Hawkins also toured with The Clash and Nick Cave during this period, and not only became a fixture of blues festivals, but appeared at many film festivals as well, including the Telluride Film Festival premier of Mystery Train.
Hawkins died on February 12, 2000 after surgery to treat an aneurysm. He left behind many children by many women; an estimated 55 at the time of his death, and upon investigation, that number "soon became perhaps 75 offspring".
Although Hawkins was not a major success as a recording artist, his highly theatrical performances from "I Put a Spell On You" onward earned him a steady career as a live performer for decades afterward, and influenced subsequent acts. He opened for Fats Domino, Tiny Grimes and the Rolling Stones. This exposure in turn influenced rock groups such as The Cramps, Screaming Lord Sutch, Black Sabbath, Arthur Brown, Dread Zeppelin, The Horrors, Marilyn Manson, Tom Waits, Alice Cooper and Glenn Danzig.
temptation
Screamin' Jay Hawkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I should have known you were temptation
You smiled, luring me on
My heart was gone, you were temptation
It would be thrilling
If you were willing
If it can never be
Pity me for you are temptation and I am yours
Here is my heart, take it and say
We'll never part
I'm just a slave
Only a slave to you, temptation
You were born to be kissed
I can't resist.
You are temptation and I am yours
Here is my heart, take it and say
We'll never part
I'm just a slave
Only a slave to you, temptation
The lyrics of “Temptation” by Screamin' Jay Hawkins describe the powerful force of temptation that can pull a person in and make them lose control. The singer describes how he was alone when the temptation came, and he should have known that it was temptation. The temptation is personified as a seductive person who lures him with a smile, and he can't resist its pull. The singer feels like a slave to temptation, and he is willing to give his heart to it even though he knows that it's not good for him.
The lyrics suggest that the singer is aware that giving into temptation can be thrilling but ultimately destructive. He acknowledges that it would be exciting if the object of his temptation were willing to pursue a relationship with him, but he knows that it can never be. He pities himself for being trapped in temptation's grasp and knows that he can't escape its hold on him. The lyrics convey a sense of helplessness and resignation to the power of temptation.
Line by Line Meaning
You came, I was alone
I was by myself until you arrived
I should have known you were temptation
In hindsight, I realize you were a seductive force that would lure me in
You smiled, luring me on
Your smile was inviting and led me further into your trap
My heart was gone, you were temptation
I fell for your charm and was captivated by your allure
It would be thrilling
The thought of being with you is exciting
If you were willing
Assuming you felt the same way
If it can never be
In the off-chance that we can't be together
Pity me for you are temptation and I am yours
Feel sorry for me because you have a hold on me; I am under your spell
Here is my heart, take it and say
I offer my heart to you and hope you will keep it safe
We'll never part
I want us to be together forever
I'm just a slave
I am powerless and cannot resist your seduction
Only a slave to you, temptation
I am completely devoted to you and cannot break free from your grasp
You were born to be kissed
Your beauty makes you irresistible and begs to be kissed
I can't resist.
I am unable to resist your captivating hold on me
You are temptation and I am yours
You have ensnared me and I belong to you
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: LARRY JOHNSON, LARRY CURTIS JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@I-HUMAN-cz8bt
This guy was highly talented and ahead of his time
@furmiture
Thank you for contributing this masterpiece
@kend1bober36
Великий певец!
@reynaldhft7198
👍Awesome ⭐
@kingyo9783
❤️🔥
@lizardfreak7948
Only one may have the pleasure to be the 24th comment on this legends song, and I take that honour with gratitude
@jaden300
26th comment thought I should also contribute, amazing song 10/10 would play again
@sombraro
I truly am the 21th fan and commenter of this music
@googlenutzer7834
Peter Fox (Seeed) sampled this in 'Schütte deinen Speck'
Check it out!
@darryljbethea644
❤️😳😳😳